One of the biggest questions entering this season for the Angelo State University volleyball team was who was going to step up to fill the void left by third-team All-American Shelbi Goode after the outside hitter transferred to New Mexico State.

The Rambelles have had not one but three young players emerge to replace that lost offense.

Sophomore Arielle Bond and freshmen Cerbi Ritchey and Courtney Bartusiak have had breakout seasons to help ASU (23-9) reach the South Central Regional Tournament, which begins Thursday in Canyon.

Ritchey has 207 and Bartusiak has 201 to round out ASU's balanced attack.

"We've got a lot of youth on the court. But with that youth comes a ton of athleticism," ASU head coach Chuck Waddington said. "It's nice to have watched them develop over the year because they've gotten a ton of time on the court and a ton of experience, and it'll really pay dividends for them in their career.

"With that comes some growing pains, but it's nice to see that at the end of the year they've ironed out some of those things and become really dependable for us."

Bond, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from El Paso, has had a stellar season after seeing limited action last year as a freshman.

Ritchey, a 6-0 outside hitter from Big Spring, redshirted last year and has made an immediate impact.

Bartusiak, a 5-11 middle blocker from Centennial, Colo., also has burst onto the scene as a true freshman.

"They're all very similar," Waddington said. "They're all very physical. They're athletically talented. They jump high and swing hard. They move pretty well on the court. And they all came in without that top-notch experience I would've liked them to have. But Cerbi redshirting and Ari playing a little last year really helped her. Courtney came in a little ahead of the curve as far as experience because she played on a pretty solid club team in high school in the spring.

"They all want to be good. That's the key to all three of them. They all expect to win and expect to be great, and they're putting in the time to do that."

It's been a considerable learning experience for Ritchey after coming from Class 3A Big Spring. After spending a season learning last year, she said she was ready to jump at the chance for some playing time.

"I just took it as a challenge and a really good opportunity for me, because we did lose a lot of big people," Ritchey said. "Coming from Big Spring, I didn't really have this kind of playing experience. So it's challenging, but that's why I think my redshirt year really helped me out. It's been fun and I'm really glad I had this opportunity."

The loss of Goode wasn't even ASU's biggest offseason departure. The Belles also graduated the program's all-time assists leader in setter Alex Woolsey.

Maggi Jo Keffury, who transferred in from New Mexico State, had big shoes to fill but has been outstanding as the quarterback of the offense.

She was named the Lone Star Conference Setter of the Week five times. She has 1,325 assists this season, an average of 11.23 per set.

"In the beginning during two-a-days, it was a little scary because we had never played wit her," Bond said of Keffury. "But she just came in and took over the offensive line and has done an amazing job."

Bartusiak said the offense has made big strides as the season has progressed.

"I think we've become more consistent and fast-paced. And we're actually a lot smarter now and know different shots," Bartusiak said. "I think we have room to grow, but I think over the season we've grown so much and it'll be very beneficial for this weekend."

Keffury credited the defense and the team's serve-receive in particular for helping jump-start the offense.

"The fact that we've been succeeding on offense, a big attribute to that is our passing and serve-receive," Keffury said.